History of the Depot
In 1868, the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston (LL&G) became the first railroad to reach Ottawa, Kansas. Shortly thereafter, the line was sold to the Kansas City, Lawrence, and Southern Kansas Railroad, who hired architect George Washburn to design the depot that still stands today. The building’s stone was quarried in Cowley County, which is in southeast Kansas.
The Leavenworth, Lawrence, and Galveston train crosses a floating bridge.
Soon after its construction in 1888, the Santa Fe bought the Southern Kansas line and the depot became a Santa Fe Division Headquarters. The depot included a 13-stall roundhouse where engines were repaired, a freight depot, and a Railway Express Agency (an express shipping service). Unfortunately, before the levee system was installed, the depot was at the mercy of the Marais des Cygnes River, which flooded frequently. As the need for passenger service declined, the 1888 depot fell out of use, and passenger service moved to a smaller building north of town before being discontinued entirely.